This week’s Torah portion gives further instructions concerning the building of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) and its furnishings. This raises an interesting question: For if the Bible’s overall theme is about G-d’s relationship with humanity through the Jewish people, then why is so much attention given to the details of objects? The answer is deeply connected to the purpose of the Mishkan, its furnishings, and the manifest presence of the Divine.

The Mishkan as Representation of G-d’s Presence

The Hebrew word for the Tabernacle is Mishkan (משכן), which means “to dwell” or “dwelling.” It comes from the root, shachan (שכן), which is also related to the word Shechinah (שכינה), meaning the manifest presence of G-d. They are all based on the same Hebrew root. Th Therefore, even the word Mishkan denotes HaShem's presence (the Shechinah) that would dwell among the people of Israel.

The Jewish sage, Ibn Ezra, comments that “while Moses was still on Mt. Sinai, G-d commanded him concerning the Tabernacle so that it would be a permanent place among the people for the glory that had rested on the mountain.” The author of Revelation writes that this continued presence of God will continue beyond the second coming of the Messiah and even into the “New Jerusalem.”

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of G-d is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. G-d Himself will be with them and be their G-d (Rev. 21:3).’”

According to the Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman), “The secret of the Mishkan is that the Shechinah, which rested openly on Mt. Sinai, would dwell in the Mishkan in a concealed way … Thus, the Shechinah which appeared to them at Sinai continued to rest with Israel in the Mishkan.”

This idea is further supported by Ibn Ezra, who states: “While Moses was still on Mt. Sinai, G-d commanded him concerning the tabernacle so that it would be a permanent place among the people for the glory that had rested on the mountain.” As such, the Tabernacle served as a tangible assurance of the bond that G-d had forged with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai.

Each of us is a Portable Tabernacle

According to the great medieval Torah commentator, Abravanel, “When the Torah speaks about the Mikdash, it is not only describing a sacred building in which worship takes place but it also has in mind the body of each human being. That is to say, each human being is a sacred sanctuary.”

Isn’t this exactly what the Shaliach Sha’ul wrote?

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from G-d, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify G-d in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).”

The ultimate example of this is Yeshua himself, who identified himself as an incarnation of the Temple:

“Yeshua answered them, ‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Judeans then said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body (John 2:19-21).”

This is a powerful image! The same presence of G-d that was revealed to Moshe at Mt. Sinai, and which dwelled in the Sanctuary, resides within us. Each one of us, therefore, is a dwelling place for the presence of HaShem. May we, as followers of Yeshua, our Righteous Messiah, continue to live lives aware of G-d’s manifest presence, and may we continue to work to bring that Presence to the rest of the world – thereby affirming our calling to be a Light to the Nations.

*Originally submitted to the UMJC website's weekly Torah commentaries.

The two most dramatic elements within Ki Tissa are clearly the sin of the Golden Calf and Moshe’s following plea before HaShem for mercy.

Regarding the sin of the golden calf, the people of Israel grew agitated with Moshe and took matters into their own hands:

“They gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Get busy and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don’t know what has become of him.’” (Exodus 32: 1)

Aaron cooperated. Whether his actions were the result of fear or an attempt at appeasement, many authorities agree that Aaron’s accompanying actions were his biggest failure. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz states that Aaron’s participation in creating the golden calf was “the worst failure of his career.” This assessment is supported by Nehama Leibowitz who sees within the narrative not only the failure of Aaron and the sin of the Israelites, but a deliberate warning that human beings are capable of acting nobly at one moment and ugly at the next.

Upon seeing the people singing and dancing before the golden calf, Moshe became enraged:

“He threw the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain. Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it into powder, which he scattered on the water.” (Exodus 32:19-20)

Moshe confronted his brother Aaron, pleading “What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such terrible sin?” Aaron replied with one of the sorriest excuses in the Torah:

“My lord should not be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil … I answered them, ‘Anyone with gold, strip it off!’ So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out jumped this calf!” (Exodus 32:22-24)

Not only does Aaron deflect responsibility by pointing the finger at the people, but he makes an excuse, as though his participation was only passive – “I threw it into the fire, and out jumped this calf!”

Afterwards Moshe went back up the mountain to plead with HaShem not to destroy the Jewish people. G-d agrees and Moshe requests to see G-d’s glory. Placing Moshe in the cleft of a rock, HaShem allowed His presence to pass by Moshe. Moshe then cut two new stone tablets, and HaShem descended upon the mountain in a thick cloud and proclaimed what has come to be known as the Thirteen Attributes of G-d.

Within these two dramatic events we see two very different responses to responsibility under pressure. Aaron gave into the desires of the people, and when confronted made an excuse. Moshe, when confronted, took on the responsibility for the actions of the Jewish people. Instead of making an excuse and passing the blame on the people, he stood before the presence G-d and pleaded for mercy.

G-d is not looking for perfect people. Rather, G-d is looking for people who are humble and obedient. Humility requires that we not only seek to do HaShem’s will, but when we fall short, to come humbly in repentance, and take responsibility for our actions. Let us stop making excuses for the tasks at hand and let us walk humbly together, like Moshe, and prepare the way for the return of Mashiach!

*This week's parashah commentary was originally submitted to, and appears in, this week's Set Table.